EP1280399B2 - Tube sleeve for a milking tube - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic milking plant includes a teat cup connected via a flexible connection hose to a collecting piece for collecting extracted milk and for transmitting a vacuum required for milking. The collecting piece is provided with a connecting piece for the flexible connection hose. The connecting piece and/or the flexible connection hose are implemented such that the flexible connection hose is stiffened in the connection zone of the connecting piece and that the stiffened region of the flexible connection hose extends beyond a milk-carrying area of the connecting piece in the axial direction. An end of a hose sleeve which faces away from the connecting piece is designed asymmetrically in the longitudinal direction, and the hose sleeve encloses the flexible connection hose at least partially in the area of the connecting piece.

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic milking system comprising a milking cup and a teatcup liner, which is connected via a flexible connecting tube to a collecting device for collecting milked milk and for transferring a negative pressure necessary for milking, the collecting device having a connecting piece for said flexible connecting tube.

In automatic milking systems elastic or flexible hose connections are used, on the one hand to direct the flow of milk from the udder of the animal to a suitable collecting container, and on the other hand to provide the Milktugraktion necessary milking vacuum on the teat.

In the German patent application with the file number 199 22 131.6 a flexible milk hose for an automatic milking system is described. In this known milking system, the milk is sucked out of the teat during the suction phase by means of a teat cup lined with a soft teat-cup liner. During this suction phase, the teat cup sticks to the teat solely because of the operating vacuum prevailing in the system. The extracted milk then passes through a flexible connecting hose, the so-called short milk hose, into a multi-way valve or a collecting piece, from which the milk is then forwarded in different line systems into a collecting container. The milking cups are essentially. mechanically coupled via the four short milk tubes with the multi-way valve and thus also with each other. The short milk tubes must transmit both the milk flow and the operating vacuum, so that an internal diameter of 9 to 12 mm is required. This means that the milk hoses on the one hand have to have a relatively large inside diameter, but on the other hand have to show sufficient mechanical stability so as not to deform appreciably when the milking vacuum is applied and to withstand the mechanical stresses occurring during the milking process and the handling of the milking plant. Furthermore, it must be ensured according to the hygiene regulations that no foreign matter from the lines, such as the milk tube, or from the container, pass into the milk to keep the burden of pollutants, bacteria or the like below a specified, for example, in the Milk Regulation limit , For the health of the animals, it is important to ensure a high standard of hygiene in the milking facility and in particular to prevent infection of the udder by bacterial load on the milking facility. For this reason, milk residues, in particular from the flexible feed lines and the corresponding connection areas, must be able to be removed without residue after use of the milking system in order to minimize the formation of bacteria in the system and thus an impairment of the milk and the udder of the animal to a minimum.

US 4,869,205 an end portion of a milk hose combined with a teatcup liner, the end portion having a reinforcing portion near the outer end of the mouth of the milk collecting piece to thereby provide a high degree of flexibility while maintaining tightness. Furthermore, the shows DE-OS-1607023 a milking cross with connecting piece for leading to teatcup liner tubes, with protective sleeves are pushed over the hose ends. The protective sleeves have a circular cross-section and have at the outwardly directed end of a beveling edge on which the milk hose kinks in drooping teatcup liners.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to achieve an improvement of the known milking plant to the effect that in particular at the connection points, where flexible elements are connected to rigid elements, the properties of the system, in particular with regard to their cleaning, and the tightness of kinked milk tubes are improved in drooping milking cups.

This object is achieved by an automatic milking system with the features of claim 1.

Preferably, the ratio of the length of the tube sleeve to its inner diameter is at least 1.5.

To illustrate the advantage that the present invention offers over the prior art, may be here with reference to Fig. 1 the well-known milking system described in detail. Fig. 1 shows the basic structure of a milking parlor using short milk tubes. Reference numeral 1 denotes the four teat cups, at one end of which the protuberance of a teatcup liner (2) is formed. At the other end of the milking cup 1 is an outlet 3, over which an end portion 9 of a short milk tube 4 is pushed. The other end of the milk hose 4 is pushed over a connecting piece 8 of a multi-way valve or collecting piece 5. In Fig. 1 three of the teat cups 1 are almost vertically aligned. This corresponds essentially to the operating position of the milking cups 1 during milking. The fourth milking cup is shown in a hanging position, which results, for example, whenever the milking cup is removed from the teats, for example, when the milking cups are being started to pick up from an end-milked animal.

Due to the bending of the milk tube 4 at the transition to the connecting piece 8, a small intermediate region 10 forms between the milk tube and the connecting piece between the inner surface of the milk tube 4 and the opposite outer surface of the connecting piece 8. By this intermediate region 10, the outer surface of the connecting piece 8 and the corresponding surface of the inside of the milk hose 4 wetted with milk, which is still present in the line area from the teat cup to the claw 5 after the release of the milking cup 1 of the teat. During subsequent Weitermelken and in particular in the cleaning of the milking the milking cups 1 are back in the operating position, ie all milk tubes are in the oriented by the connecting piece certain preferred direction and thus the intermediate region 10 between the connecting piece 8 and the short milk hose 4 is not formed. Accordingly, there is no cleaning of the surface wetted with milk at the connecting piece 8 and the milk hose 4 instead. This leads to bacterial growth in this area, which ultimately affects both the milk quality and the health of the animal's udder.

In the milking system according to the invention and also by the hose sleeve according to the invention, which projects beyond the connecting piece 8, this formation of the intermediate region 10 is avoided, since the bending edge or bending edge formed at a greater distance in front of a milk-carrying region of the connecting piece when kinking of the milk hose, so that thereby an improved cleaning effect is achieved during rinsing.

In the milking system according to the invention with a connecting piece with an asymmetrically formed opening, the desired effect is also achieved when using a sleeve on the connecting piece or in the flexible connecting hose. This is based on the fact that the sleeve, which in this case can also be referred to as an inner sleeve, is at least flush with the sleeve asymmetric opening of the connecting piece terminates, whereby a kinking of the flexible connecting hose in the region of the smaller bending radius directed into the hose inside force occurs, thus effectively preventing a partial detachment of the connecting hose and thus the formation of the intermediate region 10.

A further advantage results from the fact that the negative pressure in the collecting piece is maintained during the bending of the flexible connecting tubes when the milking cup is removed by the exact axial fixing of the bending region of the connecting tube according to the invention, since the bending region separates the collecting element from the now downward-hanging milking cup seals. This is particularly advantageous when removing the milking cluster, as if the negative pressure on the remaining, still located on the teats Melkbechem, they would then simply fall off.

By the hose sleeve results in a stiffening of the flexible connection hose beyond the milk-carrying area, so that no detachment of the hose from the connection piece takes place. Furthermore, an existing milking system can be retrofitted in a simple manner, so that the advantages according to the invention can also be used in older systems.

Furthermore, due to the asymmetrical design, the advantage that the generally asymmetrically formed opening of the connecting piece is approximately simulated by the second end region, so that a formation of the intermediate portion is avoided, but the opening of the connecting piece remains observable, if the milk hose from a at least partially transparent material. Furthermore, the tube can be easily put on and removed.

In a further advantageous development of the invention, the opposite end region and the other end region of the hose sleeve have a circular cross-section.

This design of the two end region makes it possible to ensure easy attachment of the hose sleeve to the milk hose and cost-effective production of the hose sleeve.

In a preferred embodiment, the opposite end region has an oval cross-section.

Owing to the oval cross section of the second end region, the milk tube is slightly deformed, so that a preferential direction forms during the buckling along the larger diameter of the cross section, whereby buckling of the milk tube in an undesired direction can be prevented.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the second end portion partially on its inner wall a recess and / or a survey, which can be brought into engagement with a corresponding elevation and / or depression on the outer wall of the flexible connecting hose.

By this measure, a permanent and reliable connection between the hose sleeve and the connecting hose is achieved, wherein the relative position of the hose sleeve and the milk hose to each other by the "snapping" of the corresponding recess or survey remains.

Advantageously, the hose sleeve is made of one part.

This allows a cost-effective and economical production of the hose sleeve.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hose sleeve comprises a tensioning device for clamping the hose sleeve on the milk hose.

This ensures an easy attachment to the milk hose and a reliable attachment.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hose sleeve comprises two shell parts.

Thus, the hose sleeve can be attached to the milk hose in a simple manner, when the milk hose is already mounted on the connecting piece of the collecting piece.

Advantageously, the two shell parts are connected by a hinge element.

Advantageously, the hose sleeve is at least partially made of an inelastic material.

This results in a high mechanical strength, for example, when the hoof of the animal comes into contact with the hose sleeve, while a part of the weight of the animal is to be absorbed by the hose sleeve.

In the milking installation according to the invention, the flexible connecting hose has a predetermined bending point in the direction of the tube center in front of the stiffened area.

By providing a predetermined kink in front of the hose sleeve ensures that the milk hose kinks to form a distinctive crease when the teat cup is removed from the teat and hanging down. By means of this distinctive bending edge, the sealing ability of the milk tube to delineate the milking vacuum, which continues to rest in the claw, improves against the atmospheric pressure prevailing at the kink edge by the open milking cup, even when the milking cup or milking cup or the down-hanging milking cup moves.

In a further preferred embodiment, the flexible connecting hose is at least partially transparent and the opposite end region of the hose sleeve has a cutout, such that in the pushed-on state, the end region of the connecting piece is visible.

This makes it easy to observe the condition of the connecting piece as well as the surface wetting at the end area of the connecting piece.

Furthermore, advantageously, the flexible connection tube is formed integrally with the teat rubber.

Furthermore, the sleeve for the asymmetrical opening of the connecting piece can be provided as a separate, removable sleeve, or as an integral part of the flexible connecting hose.

Further advantageous developments will become apparent from the dependent claims.

Fig. 1

eine prinzipielle dreidimensionale Darstellung eines Melkzeugs;

Fig. 2

eine schematische Seitenansicht eines Teils des Melkzeugs, wobei lediglich ein flexibler Verbindungsschlauch, sowie eine Schlauchhülse und ein Anschlussstutzen dargestellt sind;

Fig. 3a und 3b

eine schematische Seitenansicht und einen Querschnitt eines Teils des Melkzeugs, wobei lediglich ein Verbindungsschlauch, sowie eine Schlauchhülse und ein Anschlussstutzen dargestellt sind; und

Fig.4

eine Ausführungsform der Erfindung, wobei lediglich ein Verbindungsschlauch mit Sollknickstelle, sowie eine Schlauchhülse und ein Anschlussstutzen dargestellt sind.

The invention will now be explained and described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic three-dimensional representation of a cluster;

Fig. 2

a schematic side view of a portion of the milking, wherein only a flexible connecting hose, and a hose sleeve and a connecting piece are shown;

Fig. 3a and 3b

a schematic side view and a cross section of a portion of the milking, wherein only a connecting hose, and a hose sleeve and a connecting piece are shown; and

Figure 4

an embodiment of the invention, wherein only a connecting hose with predetermined kink, and a hose sleeve and a connecting piece are shown.

In reference to Fig. 2 Now parts of the milking cluster will be described. Furthermore, parts that are already associated with Fig. 1 are explained above with the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

In Fig. 2 is shown in a schematic side view of a hose sleeve 20 and a short milk hose 4. The hose sleeve 20 has a first end region 21 and a second end region 22. The second end portion 22 is formed so that, in the Fig. 2 below, about one fourth of the total radius of the hose sleeve. Further, in this lower region, a recess is formed radially in the inner side of the hose sleeve, which engages in an elevation 24 of the milk hose 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow 23 when pushing the hose sleeve. Furthermore, a connecting piece 8 of a claw, not shown, is shown as a dashed line to represent the position of the connecting piece 8 relative to the position of the tube sleeve 20 after the tube sleeve has been pushed onto the connecting piece 8 including the milk hose 4. As can be seen from the figure, the stiffening by means of the hose sleeve 20, which extends beyond the length of the connecting piece 8, prevents an intermediate region between the inner surface of the milk hose 4 and the outer surface of the connecting piece 8 is formed when the milk hose is bent downwards. Furthermore, the tube sleeve is formed such that an edge 25, from which the second end region 22 covers the entire radius of the milk tube 4, can be positioned so that the edge 25 lies in the ascending region of the end of the connecting piece 8. Thus, a formation of a gap between the connecting piece 8 and the milk hose 4 is also prevented when the milk hose in Fig. 2 should be bent to the top. It is noteworthy that the asymmetric formation of the second end region 22 in the in Fig. 2 shown, the observation of the input portion of the connecting piece 8 allows when the milk hose 4 is made of an at least partially transparent material.

The advantage of preventing a gap between the milk hose 4 and the connecting piece 8 when kinking the milk hose and the associated wetting of the corresponding surface areas is of course also achieved if the second end portion 22 is formed symmetrically in the longitudinal direction, that has the shape of a pipe section. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tube sleeve 20 is made in one piece from a hard plastic material, resulting in a durable product with low production costs. However, the tube sleeve 20 may be made of any suitable material, such as metal, ceramic, etc. Preferably, the material is sufficiently strong to withstand the mechanical stress resulting from treading the animal to be milked.

Furthermore, it is not necessary that, as in Fig. 2 is shown, the hose sleeve 20 from the edge 25 completely surrounds the milk hose 4. Further, advantageously, the inner diameter of the tube sleeve 20 is selected so that it is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the milk tube 4, so that the tube sleeve 20 is well on and deducted, while a longitudinal displacement during operation of the milking system is avoided.

An advantageous embodiment is obtained when the hose sleeve 20 has a clamping device with which this is clamped on the milk hose 4. This type of attachment is particularly advantageous when the hose sleeve is made two or more parts. Thus, for example, two half-shells may be provided, which are connectable by means of two respective provided at the ends of the half-shells tabs with the corresponding tabs on the other half-shell by means of fastening elements, such as screws. Furthermore, the two half-shells can be connected by a hinge element, so that the hose sleeve 20 can be opened and locked by means of a tensioning device on the milk hose. Due to the multi-part construction of the tube sleeve 20, these can be attached in a simple manner to the already mounted on the connection piece 8 milk tubes 4, with no time-consuming and tedious removal and subsequent pushing the milk tubes on the connecting pieces 8 is necessary.

Fig. 3a and 3b again show parts of the cluster with a hose sleeve. In Fig. 3a For example, a hose sleeve 30 has a first end region 31 with a circular cross section and a second end region 32 with an oval cross section. Fig. 3b shows a plan view of the opening of the hose sleeve 30 in the longitudinal direction, wherein the oval cross section of the second end portion 32 is indicated by a solid line and the circular cross section of the first end portion 31 with a dashed line. Due to the oval shape of the cross section of the second end portion 32 forms when in Fig. 3 the milk tube, not shown, for example, is bent downwards by the weight of the teat cup drawn off from the teat, preferably prefers a bent edge. At the same time, the milk hose becomes more resistant to torsion relative to lateral loads.

For the further embodiment of the hose sleeve 30 apply the same considerations as previously with reference to Fig. 2 have been described.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a side view of a milk hose used in the milking plant according to the invention with a hose sleeve. At one end of a milk hose 44, a hose sleeve 40 is attached, which may be formed as previously with respect to the FIGS. 2 and 3 was explained. The other end of the milk hose 44 leads to a milking cup, which is not shown here. Furthermore, the milk hose 44 has a predetermined bending point 46 between an end region 42 of the hose sleeve 40 and the middle part of the milk hose. The predetermined bending point 46 can be formed, for example, by reducing the wall thickness of the milk hose 44. The predetermined bending point 44 causes that in a deflection of the milk hose 44 this kinks in the region of the predetermined bending point 46 and forms a corresponding bending edge.

In particular, when removing the milking cup this by its weight the milk hose 44 in Fig. 4 kinked down, results in a well-defined kink area, which leads to that in the claw and thus in the area left ( Fig. 4 ) the milking vacuum applied to the predetermined bending point 46 is sealed particularly efficiently with respect to the atmospheric pressure flowing in through the milking cup. Thus, the operating vacuum, for example during transport from one animal to another, remains virtually unchanged in the case of a downwardly hanging milk churn.

It proves to be particularly advantageous to produce the milk hose 44 from transparent material or at least partially from transparent material and to provide an asymmetrical design of the second end region 40, so that the area of the opening of the connecting piece is readily visible to the user at all times. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to form the tube sleeve 40 and the end region of the milk tube 44 in an integral manner, for example by introducing a stiffening region into the milk tube during its manufacture.

In a further embodiment of the milking plant according to the invention, the connecting piece is designed in the manner of a double-walled tube, the inner tube, which forms the actual connection to the flexible connecting tube, being shorter than the outer tube. The distance between the inner tube and the outer tube is dimensioned such that it is slightly smaller than the wall thickness of the aufzuschiebenden end portion of the connecting tube. This ensures that after attaching the connecting hose this sits firmly on the connection piece. Furthermore, the complete sheathing of the end portion of the connecting tube provides optimum protection against any damaging effects on the end portion.

The hose sleeve for use in an automatic milking system can be designed as described in connection with the embodiments with regard to the milking plant according to the invention. By the predetermined ratio between the length and the inner diameter In addition, it is ensured that the end area is stiffened over a sufficient length to achieve the desired effect. Since the inner diameter of the flexible connecting hose is usually 9-12 mm and the wall thickness is normally at least 1 mm, a minimum inner diameter of 13 mm must be provided for the hose sleeve. However, depending on the connection hose used, larger values in the range of 13 to 20 mm or more may be required. Of course, the ratio of the length to the inner diameter may have other values, for example, preferably in the range of 1.5 and greater, and more preferably in the range of 1.5 to 2. However, the ratio may also be selected in the range of 2 to 5 to achieve the beneficial effect. In relation to the FIGS. 2 to 4 described embodiments, the inner diameter of the hose sleeve is 21 mm and the length 40 mm. Furthermore, the inner diameter is preferably slightly larger, for example 0.5 to 2 mm, than the outer diameter of the flexible connecting hose in order to facilitate the sliding of the connecting hose onto the connecting piece.

In a further embodiment, the asymmetrical opening of the connecting piece 8 is at least partially enclosed by a sleeve. In this case, the length of the sleeve is selected so that the flexible connecting hose in the pushed state with the sleeve, which thus serves as an inner sleeve, in the longitudinal direction preferably more than 5mm, and in particular at least 10mm in contact. The inner sleeve closes flush with the opening of the connecting piece or protrudes beyond the opening. When bending and bending of the flexible connection hose occurs due to the elasticity of the hose at the smaller bending radius directed towards the greater bending radius force, thus the hose in this area even more firmly pressed against the inner sleeve and thereby reliably prevents the formation of the intermediate region 10.

Particularly advantageous is the provision of a predetermined bending point, which may be formed, for example, by two or more spaced-apart reinforcing rings by the defined between two adjacent such rings intermediate region.

Furthermore, in all embodiments, the teatcup liner may be formed integrally with the flexible connection tube.

Furthermore, it is possible to achieve up to the opening end of the connecting piece or beyond extending stiffening of the milk hose by making the tube with different materials or material mixtures. This can be accomplished, for example, during injection molding by using different mixtures for different tube areas.

Claims (13)

1. An automatic milking plant comprising a teat cup (1) and a teat rubber (2) connected via a flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) to a collecting piece (5) for collecting extracted milk and for transmitting a vacuum required for milking, wherein the collecting piece (5) is provided with a connecting piece (8) for the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44), wherein the connecting piece (8) and/or the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) are implemented such that, when a bending load is applied to the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) and when the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) kinks, a partial detachment of the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) from the connecting piece (8) is prevented in the connection zone of the connecting piece (8), wherein a hose sleeve (20) enclosing the flexible connection hose at least partially is provided in the connection zone, and the end portion (22) of the hose sleeve (20) facing away from the connecting piece (8) is designed asymmetrically in the longitudinal direction, wherein said away-facing end portion (22) matches an assymetrical shape of the connection zone of the connecting piece (8) in the longitudinal direction, so that the formation of an intermediate area between the inner surface of the connection hose and the opposed outer surface of the connection piece will be avoided when the flexible connection hose kinks, and wherein the flexible connection hose is provided with a predetermined kinking point (46) toward the center portion and before the collecting piece.
2. The automatic milking plant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner diameter of the hose sleeve (20) is, at most, equal to the outer diameter of the flexible connection hose (24, 34, 44) and the hose sleeve (20) projects beyond the connecting piece (8).
3. The automatic milking plant according to claim 1, wherein the away-facing end portion (22) and the other end portion (21) of the hose sleeve (20) have a circular cross-section.
4. The automatic milking plant according to claim 1, wherein the away-facing end portion (22) has an oval cross-section.
5. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the away-facing end portion (22) has on part of its inner wall a depression and/or an elevation which is in engagement with a complementary elevation and/or depression on the outer wall of the flexible connection hose.
6. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the hose sleeve (20) is implemented as a one-piece component.
7. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 6, wherein the hose sleeve comprises a clamping device for fixing the hose sleeve in position on the flexible connection hose.
8. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 7, wherein the hose sleeve comprises two shell components.
9. The automatic milking plant according to claim 8, wherein the two shell components are connected by a hinge element.
10. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 9, wherein at least part of the hose sleeve is produced from an inelastic material.
11. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 10, wherein the flexible connection hose is, at least partially, transparent, and the away-facing end portion of the hose sleeve is provided with a cut-out portion in such a way that, in the pushed-on condition, the end portion of the connecting piece is visible.
12. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 11, wherein the flexible connection hose and the teat rubber are formed as a unit.
13. The automatic milking plant according to one of the claims 1 to 12, wherein the flexible connection hose has two spaced reinforcement rings located prior to the connecting piece so that a predetermined kinking point is defined between said two reinforcement rings.

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